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Beatitudes, Not Platitudes shows that the Beatitudes are not overused, well-worn answers to the question, What would Jesus do? Rather, they are undervalued and hardly touched claims that transform our destinies. More than spiritual nuggets for personal devotion, practical advice, or propositions to be believed, the Beatitudes in Matthew 5 envision and entail a reorientation of the good life in view of Jesus kingdom. Jesus teachings reveal to us that living our best purpose-driven life now involves dying to self and the world system, and dying for our enemies. Ideal for group study, this series of meditations on each of the Beatitudes, followed by cultural reflections and study questions, helps to bridge the gaps between personal devotion and societal revolution, the academic and the practical, the ancient and the contemporary. All of us want to be happy, to be well and blessed, and esteemed with honor. However, we look for happiness, wellness, blessing, and honor in different places and with mixed results. This book helps us reimagine the good life by taking a fresh look at the Beatitudes as citizens of Jesus ever-new kingdom order. (Designer--Please use the first three names on this list for the back cover, the rest will go in the front cover) I was most impressed with Paul Louis Metzger s not only evangelical but also social-justice reading and interpretation of Jesus powerful Beatitudes. May his tribe increase! --Frederick Dale Bruner, author of Matthew